Allnigeriasoccer.com understands that Super Eagles captain John Obi Mikel WILL make his debut for Tianjin Teda in their Chinese Super League clash against Shandong Luneng on Saturday afternoon.

The former Chelsea star will display his wares at the Jinan Olympic Sports Center Stadium from the very beginning.

Ignoring his appearances for the national teams and unofficial matches for his clubs, the game against Shandong Luneng is Mikel’s first competitive game since he featured against Liverpool on May 11, 2016.

Another Tianjin Teda new signing Brown Ideye has not been named in the starting XI and the reason behind his omission is that he needs to settle down first, having arrived in China three days ago.

Both Super Eagles stars have signed a three-year deal with Tianjin Teda.